“Young Master went out on business more than a month ago and is not currently in the capital. I have no idea when he will return,” Bao Butong said respectfully. “However, before leaving, Young Master instructed us that he knew Seventh Miss would be coming to the capital. If you came looking for him, we were to follow all your orders.”
Shen Chuyun was a little disappointed. “It’s such a shame that I can’t see Sixth Senior Brother. Sigh!”
Her six senior brothers and sisters had never revealed their real names while they were in the valley. Instead, they addressed one another according to their order of entry into the sect, adding their surnames to their rankings to form their names. Her eldest senior brother’s surname was Yu, so their master called him Oldest Yu. Her second senior sister’s surname was Mei. As for her third senior brother… Her sixth senior brother’s surname was Qin, so everyone called him Sixth Qin.
She was the youngest of them all. Everyone knew about her background, but she knew nothing about the mysterious identities her senior brothers and sisters held outside the valley.
They had also agreed beforehand that they would not pry too much into one another’s identities when they were outside. However, whenever one of them needed help, the others would always lend a hand.
Since her Sixth Senior Brother was not in the capital, Shen Chuyun did not ask any more questions. Instead, she told Bao Butong what she wanted.
“I’d like you to thoroughly investigate the Marquis of Anning’s household. I want to know everything about them. Can you do that?”
Although her Sixth Senior Brother had told her quite a bit about the Marquis of Anning’s household in his letters, he had not yet built up his influence back then. He had too few people working for him and faced restrictions at every turn, so the information he had managed to obtain was limited.
When she arrived in the capital, she had also investigated the marquis’s household. However, all she had found were things everyone already knew. What she wanted was the household’s dirty secrets—the scandals they desperately wanted to keep hidden.
Bao Butong smiled. “If you had asked me before, it would have been difficult. But now, Young Master has plenty of people at his disposal. So please rest assured, Seventh Miss. I’ll investigate everything about the Marquis of Anning’s household and deliver the complete results to you as soon as possible.”
Shen Chuyun smiled faintly. “I’m relieved to hear you say that. I trust Sixth Senior Brother, and I trust your abilities as well.”
“Besides investigating the marquis’s household, I have one more favor to ask. Please prepare a safe place for me to stay and find a few bodyguards to protect my brother.”
“Oh, right. When Sixth Senior Brother returns, you must tell me immediately. It’s been so long since we last saw each other, and I miss him very much.”
Bao Butong readily agreed to everything. “Seventh Miss, you can rest assured. Leave it all to me.”
He let Shen Chuyun rest there while he went out to invite Zhou Ziqing, Su Linzhou, and the white wolf inside. Afterward, he arranged for someone to escort the three people and one wolf out through the back gate.
A carriage was already waiting there.
Shen Chuyun raised an eyebrow slightly. “You prepared everything so quickly. As expected of someone who works for Sixth Senior Brother.”
The three people and the wolf climbed into the carriage. The driver flicked his whip, and the carriage set off toward the city gate.
When they entered the city, the driver showed the guards a token.
The guards immediately stepped aside respectfully and did not even inspect the carriage.
The carriage arrived at a quiet street, an area where the capital’s wealthy residents lived. Every residence here was worth well over a hundred thousand taels of silver.
The carriage entered a spacious mansion with three successive courtyards.
Seeing the luxurious decorations inside, Shen Chuyun was astonished.
“Is Sixth Senior Brother really this wealthy? He used to complain about being poor all the time! He said his father didn’t love him, everyone hated him, and he was a pitiful little soul with no money and nothing to his name. Hehe! He calls this being poor? Look at this enormous mansion!”
Shen Chuyun felt that her Sixth Senior Brother had been pretending to be poor all along.
He was clearly a wealthy man.
Now, she was even more curious about his identity in the capital.
Not only was the mansion enormous, but everything inside was valuable. There were also twelve servants living and working there.
When the servants saw Shen Chuyun, the other two men, and the white wolf, they were surprised but did not ask any questions. Instead, they welcomed them respectfully and treated them just like their masters.
The driver said to Shen Chuyun, “Seventh Miss, this place is absolutely safe. You can stay here without worry. The bodyguards you requested will arrive in fifteen minutes. If you need anything, you can speak to Manager Chang Shou, me, or Shopkeeper Bao.”
Shen Chuyun nodded with satisfaction. “Understood. Thank you for bringing us here, Uncle Xue.”
The driver’s name was Xue Shu. Hearing Shen Chuyun thank him, he gave an honest, bashful smile.
“Seventh Miss, there’s no need to thank me. This is simply my duty.”
Their young master’s little junior sister was not only innocent and adorable but also exceptionally polite. She was always courteous to subordinates like them.
It made people want to cherish and protect her.
The driver soon took his leave.
As soon as he left, Shen Chuyun went to find Manager Chang Shou and explained what she needed.
“Please help me prepare these medicinal herbs. I’ll pay you whatever they cost. I also need a room suitable for performing surgery, and it must have…”
Chang Shou carefully noted down each request before saying, “Seventh Miss, Xue Shu told me that you don’t need to pay for anything. Young Master will cover all your expenses here. Also, if you ever run short of money while staying in the capital, you can come to me.”
Shen Chuyun was delighted. “Sixth Senior Brother is so good to me! Then I won’t stand on ceremony. Uncle Chang, I’ll have to trouble you to look after my brother from now on.”
She took out a small medicine bottle and handed it to Chang Shou.
“This is a little gift for our first meeting. It isn’t anything particularly valuable, just a few pills to regulate the stomach and improve digestion.”
Chang Shou had initially wanted to decline, but Shen Chuyun insisted, so he accepted the gift.
“Seventh Miss, rest assured. This old servant will take good care of Young Master Su.”
Hearing his assurance, Shen Chuyun finally felt at ease. She trusted the people her Sixth Senior Brother employed.
Fifteen minutes later, the six bodyguards arranged by Bao Butong arrived. All six were agile, with sharp eyes. They looked like highly skilled fighters.
Shen Chuyun felt even more reassured.
As long as her brother was safe, she had nothing else to worry about.
Su Zhen, Xu Yuru, just wait for your deaths!
Shen Chuyun did not leave immediately. Instead, she waited for Su Linzhou to wake up.
After the Chen hour had passed, Su Linzhou slowly regained consciousness. Having slept for a while, his complexion had improved slightly.
However, he was still pale and terribly hungry.
Shen Chuyun cooked him a little bowl of yellow millet porridge.
“Brother, you haven’t eaten for a long time, and you’re still suffering from serious injuries. For now, you can only have light, liquid food. I made this porridge myself. Let me feed you some.”
In front of Shen Chuyun, Su Linzhou was always very obedient.
When she told him to open his mouth, he did so without hesitation, like a well-behaved little child.
As he swallowed each spoonful, he kept his eyes fixed on Shen Chuyun. He even held tightly onto the hem of her clothes, afraid that she might suddenly disappear.
Su Linzhou ate two bowls of porridge before he was finally satisfied.
Zhou Ziqing watched from the side, his eyes brimming with tears.
His young lord had finally endured all the suffering and reached better days.
His admiration for Shen Chuyun surged like an endless river.
The young miss was practically a miracle worker! Not only could she command animals, but she also had powerful connections. In less than a morning, she had found such an excellent place for the young lord to recuperate, complete with plenty of servants and bodyguards to look after him.
From now on, he would follow the young miss’s lead in everything.
Wait, no. He belonged to the young lord. Would it be appropriate for him to pledge his loyalty to the young miss instead? Would the young lord mind?
“Brother Ziqing, my brother has already woken up, so you don’t need to stand guard anymore. Go wash up and get something to eat,” Shen Chuyun said, turning to Zhou Ziqing.
Zhou Ziqing looked down at his filthy clothes, then at his dirty hands. His dark face began to feel hot with embarrassment.
He really was filthy, completely out of place in such a luxurious mansion.
Not only was he dirty, but he also stank. He had spent the entire previous day handling manure, and his clothes were soaked with the foul-smelling liquid.
He had forced the young miss to put up with his stench all this time. He truly deserved to die.
“Oh, all right. I’ll go wash up now.”
Zhou Ziqing opened the door and stepped outside. Once he was out, he carefully closed it behind him.
Chang Shou had already prepared toiletries and clean clothes for him.
Only Shen Chuyun and Su Linzhou remained in the room.
“Brother, can you tell me where you hid the treasure in your room? I’ll retrieve it for you.”
Su Linzhou furrowed his brows and thought for a moment before answering, “Under my bed. There’s a stone at the very back. The things are hidden beneath it.”
Shen Chuyun nodded. “I understand. I’ll find them and bring them back to you.”
She paused before continuing, “Brother, this is my Sixth Senior Brother’s residence. You can stay here and recover without worrying about anything. I need to leave to retrieve your treasure. Can you promise me that you’ll be good, stay here, and wait for me to return?”
Su Linzhou was reluctant to let her go, but he did not want to refuse his little sister and make her unhappy. He answered in a subdued voice, “All right. I’ll wait for you to come back.”
Shen Chuyun gently hugged him. “You’re such a good brother. I love you the most.”
Su Linzhou’s eyes immediately filled with tears.
His little sister had finally come back to him!